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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. staff — employees
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. branch — a division
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bat — the animal
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. staff — employees
  19. pop — soda
  20. staff — a stick
  21. pop — to visit
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. pop — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com